World Autism Awareness Day: 2nd April

❤ I will never forget my first experience teaching a child on the spectrum. He was a beloved boy who just needed a particular approach. I still remember the last day before he left, when he was next to me, by my desk and I could see from the corner of my eye that he was looking at me. He avoided eye contact and so I tried not to look at him. He wanted to show me his drawing and had placed it onto my desk. He whispered, “I will miss you.” Tears welled up in my eyes and instinctively I turned round to look at him. His eyes immediately looked down onto the desk. I whispered back, “I will miss you too.” He will always be remembered with the fondest memories at heart. ❤

World autism day — A portrait of my teacher, 2012.

The eighth annual World Autism Awareness Day is April 2, 2016.

Every year, autism organizations around the world celebrate the day with unique fundraising and awareness-raising events.

Use #LIUB to share your experience across social media and help light the world up blue this April!

Major global landmarks will light up blue in 2016. Find out which ones by clicking HERE!

What is Autism?

Autism is a lifelong developmental condition that affects, among other things, the way an individual relates to his or her environment and their interaction with other people. The word ‘spectrum‘ describes the range of difficulties that people on the autism spectrum may experience and the degree to which they may be affected. Some people may be able to live relatively normal lives, while others may have an accompanying learning challenges and require continued specialist support.

The main areas of difficulty are in social communication, social interaction and restricted or repetitive behaviours and interests.

People on the autism spectrum may also have:

unusual sensory interests such as sniffing objects or staring intently at moving objects
sensory sensitivities including avoiding everyday sounds and textures
intellectual impairment or learning difficulties